At a time when it seems that we are becoming more insular and focused on our own well-being, Rotary offers a way to connect with community, provide service (both locally and globally) and look beyond the things that threaten to divide us.

You might know of Rotary. 

They serve the pancake breakfast for Murray Fun Days on the Fourth of July, they build parks around the city (think Rotary Park at the mouth of Emigration Canyon or the playground at Liberty Park), they sponsor food and clothing drives, Operation Santa, and a variety of scholarships and roadside cleanups. They collaborate with many existing local service organizations, providing money and volunteer hours.

But you might not know that they maintain a strictly nonpolitical stance. Clubs do not endorse candidates or take sides on issues, which allows members from diverse backgrounds to come together with a common goal of service. In fact, their motto is “Service Above Self.”

You also may not know that Rotary has a global presence. They have 1.4 million members and 47,000 active clubs in more than 200 countries. Utah, alone, has 45 active clubs. 

Rotary clubs in Utah take pride in serving internationally, not just locally. For example, Murray Rotary, in conjunction with the Bountiful, West Jordan and Hispano-Latino Rotary clubs recently completed a service project in Arequipa, Peru.

“Ninety-five percent of our service is local, but we do have a tradition of once a year, serving somewhere else,” Jerry Summerhays, past Rotarian president, said.

So, each year, the International Service Chair of Murray Rotary reaches out to overseas clubs to identify a sustainable project that aligns with the club’s budget. The International Rotary Club knows the needs of its specific community and can manage implementation of the project. 

This year, Murray Rotary facilitated the purchase of $19,000 of essential medical and rehabilitation equipment to a nonprofit in Peru, run by local nuns, that takes care of 35 special needs adults and children. 

The Utah clubs collected the money and sent it to the Lima Rotary, a 103-year-old Rotary Club, which purchased the equipment and facilitated the project, locally. 

Then, in staying true to their club motto, “Fun with a Purpose,” 25 Utah Rotarians traveled to see the impact of their financial support. On the trip, they also enjoyed visiting Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lima. 

Additionally, over the past four years, Murray, Bountiful, West Jordan and Hispano-Latino Rotary clubs have completed projects in Columbia, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico.

In Panama, Utah clubs financed a pilot project in six rural towns called RACHEL (Remote Access Community Hotspot for Electronic Learning), which was launched by the Rotary Club of Playa Coronado in Panama City. The RACHEL hotspot contains a terabyte of data. Additional grants allowed them to provide laptops to 18 schools, and now the Panama Ministry of Education, who is implementing the training, is seeking Rotary assistance to expand the system to an additional 50 towns
and schools.

In Guatemala, they collaborated with local clubs to support a school for children and adults with Down syndrome. And in Columbia, they helped establish a soy factory to provide soy-based nutritional supplements to low-income communities facing malnutrition challenges, currently serving over 50,000 beneficiaries per day. 

Rotary International History

Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris, with the intention of gathering professionals with diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Harris had fond memories of being raised in a small town, and he wanted to bring the dedication and camaraderie of that setting to his city life in Chicago. 

In the early days, meetings moved from one member’s home to the next and this rotation is what inspired the group’s name: Rotary.

Rotary spread like wildfire, first across the United States and then across the globe. By 1912, Rotary had gone international with clubs in Canada and Europe, and within two decades there were 20,000 Rotary members in over 200 countries. Very quickly their vision extended to humanitarian service, which is implemented locally and internationally.

Rotary International, has survived two world wars and changing times. One of their first and continuing humanitarian goals is the eradication of polio, worldwide. They also support services to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene around the world, help grow local economies and protect the global and local environment. 

Local Rotary Clubs

There are many Utah Rotary clubs searchable at www.utahrotary.org, but the Murray Rotary Club meets twice a month at Golden Corral (665 E. 7200 South) to socialize and plan monthly service projects, and they welcome visitors to attend and see what “Fun with a Purpose” is all about. λ